Senator Howard Marklein: Legislature's budget invests in rural Wisconsin
Published by The Cap Times on June 26, 2019
By Senator Howard Marklein
The Legislature completed our work on the state budget, and I am proud to say that we invest in the people and the needs of our communities while protecting taxpayers. It is especially helpful for rural Wisconsin, and I have worked hard to make sure the rural voice was heard in this discussion. Rural Wisconsin matters.
Our budget funds the priorities of the people I serve. We put a lot of money into the things our constituents told us to fund — roads, healthcare, education and
more. We did not cut anything.
We increased funding for roads to nearly $1 billion by 2021, including a massive investment in local, rural roads of $156 million for towns, counties and municipalities. We dedicated $1.6 billion for health care access and increased reimbursement rates for nursing homes, personal care workers and direct care workers. We also increased funding for rural hospitals.
We included $44 million for rural broadband. The University of Wisconsin System gets more than $100 million, and $1.2 billion in capital projects. We made significant investments for water quality and funded the Dairy Innovation Hub.
By Senator Howard Marklein
The Legislature completed our work on the state budget, and I am proud to say that we invest in the people and the needs of our communities while protecting taxpayers. It is especially helpful for rural Wisconsin, and I have worked hard to make sure the rural voice was heard in this discussion. Rural Wisconsin matters.
Our budget funds the priorities of the people I serve. We put a lot of money into the things our constituents told us to fund — roads, healthcare, education and
more. We did not cut anything.
We increased funding for roads to nearly $1 billion by 2021, including a massive investment in local, rural roads of $156 million for towns, counties and municipalities. We dedicated $1.6 billion for health care access and increased reimbursement rates for nursing homes, personal care workers and direct care workers. We also increased funding for rural hospitals.
We included $44 million for rural broadband. The University of Wisconsin System gets more than $100 million, and $1.2 billion in capital projects. We made significant investments for water quality and funded the Dairy Innovation Hub.